Elizabeth Morgan

FAML 460

April 6, 2021

Final Exam: Amazing Grace

 What doctrine in Wilbur's heart drove him to advocate? Why is the doctrine of the family

so important to have in your heart, to be passionate and persistent?

o I think the doctrine in Wilbur’s heart that drove him to advocate is the value of all

souls are equal before God.

o All living things are worth caring, protecting and defending. He showed this at the

beginning of the movie when he stopped the carriage to help a tired horse who

was being abused. His capacity to help and care for others -maybe more for those

who do not have the ability to do it for themselves- is what made him such a great

advocate against slave trading.

o When we understand the doctrine (of the family), we understand the why, which

encompass principles by which we live. When a doctrine is in our hearts then we

move to act accordingly to such doctrine. We apply such values in our lives. This

was clearly seen in the Wilbur stood up for the injustices slaves were suffering.

o In the same way, when we know it in our hearts, then we have the right

motivation to defend the truth of the family and everything around it.

o In my journal I have the following quote from President Boyd K. Packer (a very

special apostle I hold dear in my heart):

 "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of

the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of
 behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior

can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress so forcefully the

study of the doctrines of the gospel. The laws of God on marriage, birth,

and nurturing of little children may seem rigid, but they are very practical"

o When we understand the doctrine in our hearts, our behaviors change. We are

more committed to live by the principles related to such doctrine, not because we

want to be obedient, but because we understand the “why”.

 How did Wilbur employ a theoretical (Bronfenbrenner) approach to become a more

effective advocate? Identify at least one thing in each system and be specific.

o Microsystem- Wilbur was first moved to act by his friend, Billy. His friend knew

where he stood regarding slavery and his courage to stand for what he believed. I

think when we are a light in the world, we could inspire others to also stand for

what is right. In this system, he reached out to friends such John Newton. He

remembered the story he had told him about the ghost that he lived with.

o Mesosystem -I think the dinner he had with his friend Billy and those who were

ready to also advocate against slavery is a good example of the mesosystem, when

the micro and exosystem interact.

o Exosystem- Also, because he had certain social status, he was able to reach out to

people from his community to show them what the conditions of the ship in which

slaves were transported. Even allowing them to experience “the smell of death”.

This is a great example of how we can use all of the resources and network we

have available to let others see the importance of our cause.

 o Macrosystem- Little by little, his ideology started to reach all part of the country

and even the world. At one point Billy questioned him regarding a letter that he

received form George Washington, to what William responded saying it was

about abolition. His courage to always speak up in the house of commons, with

his friends, with his colleagues, and people of his society spread his message

through out all systems. Even it gave hope to the very people he was fighting for.

o William Wilbur has shown me such an effective way to move through all of the

system to support those who are already in the fight, to give hope and to be

involved.

 How did Wilbur and his fellow advocates do and share their research? What evidence did

they provide to persuade those opposing or on the fence?

o One of my favorite ways in which he shared the fact that many people are in favor

of abolition is when he unrolled the list of signatures in front of his colleagues.

The long roll spread on the floor of the House of Commons was the people

silently getting their voices heard.

o They showed and described the conditions in which slaves were transported. They

did not mentioned religion in the matter. Even though some of the opponents

brought it up as a way of mocking William.

o They collected all the data and conducted research within in Jamaica and used the

story of survivors. I love that even this movie is about something that happened so

many years ago, it shows the importance of using reliable data and sources to help

others see the importance of the problem they are trying to fix.
 o Another way to present evidence was when they took those people on a boat ride,

culminating the ride with a show of a ship that transport slaves. The smell was a

witness of their suffering and injustices. In this case, it was not a bunch of data

collected. Instead, it was the cruel reality of “the smell of death”.

o I saw the same way of presenting information about the reality of our situation

regarding the family in the book we read this semester. I have this excerpt in my

journal that I think illustrate an important consequence of the redefinition of

marriage:

 “These children have done nothing wrong, but their prospects in life are
much bleaker than those of children born to married parents. They will
bear the social costs of the breakdown of the family.”
(Anderson, Ryan T. Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and
Religious Freedom)

 How does the film portray the importance of working with and learning from others in a

group? What has family advocacy collaboration taught you? Why do you think it is a

good idea to discuss your thoughts with your peers each week in the Zoom meetings?

o In the scene where William meets with his group to plan how they will bring

about their fight, we see that some had different points of view about the situation.

That’s an example how working with others allow us to learn from their

perspectives.

o We all have different strengths and life experiences. A group formed with

different people united in purpose and makes us stronger. Each one can bring

something different to the group. We saw that in the movie as William took

charge of speaking publicly, while others did research, and others provided with

insights from their knowledge and experience in politics. They all brought
 something that made them reach more people and spheres because of those

differences they had.

o When we work with others, can see things we missed through their eyes. That was

my experience with Zoom meetings. I was able to internalize the content of the

class by talking to my classmates. Most importantly I learned from their different

ways to see things. By talking to my group, I was able to learn that it is ok if not

all of us agree, we can still learn from each other.

o Another thing I learned from my experience of working in groups and discussion

with those who do not agree with most of the class is that the opposition to defend

marriage and family is not just outside the Church. This is something I have

struggled with during this semester because it made me doubt something that I

hold so dear to my heart. To see such a strong opposition from just a couple of

students, made me wonder if I was being closed minded and not seeing what they

are seeing.

o I could understand where they were coming from with some of the arguments, but

I struggle to see how they could sustain new revelation or even the prophets and

leaders of the Church while steel standing on their positions. Overall, it was eye-

opening to me! I needed to see that there is more to this battle. The more I know

about both sides point of view, the better I will be prepared to defend the truth.

 What parallels do you see between Wilbur and Captain Moroni in Alma 46? What is a

Christian and professional family advocate, and how did Wilbur exemplify that? How

can you be effective and Christlike against such loud and often degrading voices?
o Wilbur and Captain Moroni stood up full of conviction to defend the truth. The

both have the same inequivalent resolution and passion to do what is right.

o I love this phrase I got from week 5, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil

is that good men [and women] do nothing.” It seems that this was something

Captain Moroni and Wilbur had clear in their mind. If they did not something

about it, then they were letting evil prevail.

o Wilbur’s Christianity is what made him such a great advocate for abolition of

slavery. He never steered away from his faith, but he also knew that he had to use

information and strategies that were going to be effective in his circumstances.

o This last aspect reminded me of how we are advised to leave religion aside when

fighting in the legal system. I still remember the video of the two young men who

we talking against and pro same-sex marriage. One of them delivered a message

that sounded full of conviction and faith, but it did not seem to be effective in the

content in which hi delivered it. The other young man, shared a personal story

about growing in a same-sex household, he made his peach very relatable. We

could see on the audience the different effects of both speeches.

o This is something that as Christians, professionals and advocates we need to

remember: To use the Savior way to teach and bring people to understand the

importance of a problem or topic by sharing stories. To do it all with love without

forgetting we are dealing with people who also strongly believe they are making a

better world. And finally, to never leave the path that will give us the strength and

light we need to fight.

 o When he came back and sang Amazing Grace to the group of politicians, he

showed a Christlike way to stay strong, deliver a message, and do it without

attacking others, or lowering his standards. This movie and this class have taught

me that at times we need to get creative to find different ways to show the truth of

things.

 Marcia Barlow spoke on persuasive speaking and writing. Did Wilbur and others

exemplify any of Marcia's ideas? How so?

o One of the first times that Wilbur stood up in the House of Commons to speak

about slavery he used the three steps that Marcia Barlow mentioned. He stood up

a told a story of self when he talked about his experience going into the ship to see

the conditions in which slaves were being transported. He talked about a story of

us when he said that he knew honorable men were in that room with the power to

make a difference. He transformed his speech to a story of now when he said that

honorable men would not permit that such abuse will continue.

 What role did the government, policy, and religious freedom play in the fight of the slave

trade? Did you see their political system being pro-family? Why or why not? Answer all

questions.

o The role the government played in the fight of slave trade was one of opposition

at first. There were not policies that truly protected the right of the slaves. As

many mentioned in the movie, the focus of the government was to create laws that

help the country (and its colonies) to flourish economically -with the price of

slave trade.
 o Wilbur and his friend had to find a way around to be able to be start a bill that can

bring back the issue of slave trade to the House of Commons. Although it was a

different policy (related to the flags), it provided a gate to the issue of slavery to

be once again talked about at the government level.

o I did not see their political system being so much pro-family. Their laws and

policies did not seem to reflect the best interest of families. Even though one of

the reasons they did not want to stop trading slave was because they wanted their

country to continue to progress, they missed the mark regarding how those

decisions were affecting the family.

o The fact that it took so much effort to stop the slave trade that allowed people to

own, torture and destroy families was another clear reason that shows how anti-

family the government was.

 Do you feel that Wilbur used his time on earth well? How did you see him showing the

elements of consecration that Elder Christofferson spoke of?

o He did, he spent most of his time, energy and health in the fight to abolish

slavery. He sacrificed his time and even his health to defend those that could not

defend themselves.

o Wilbur is a great example of what Alan J. Hawkins describe as “guidelines to

civic (and civil) Involvement.” He says that first we need to be informed. We

need to take the time to study the matter. That is exactly what Wilbur did at the

beginning. He went to talk to his friend, who had been a sea captain at one point;

he visited the transportation ships; he talked to those that were a bit more

knowledgeable at the time.

 o The second guideline Hawkins gives is to collaborate with others, which is

something Wilbur also did so well! This step is what I think made him stronger on

the fight. He not only counsel with his group of advocates, but he also listened to

his wife and friends who encouraged them to move forward.

o The third guideline is to avoid contention and never promote it. I think the way

Wilbur defended the issue in the House of Common would seem contentious, but

I think he was simply firm on his effort. There were times when he knew he had

to stop and try again with different or better arguments.

o Wilbur life was consecrated to help others. When tells his butler to feed the

beggar breakfast, even if it meant that his house was going to end up crowded

with hungry people eating of his food. He used the blessings he received in his

life to touch the lives of others.

 Any other profound thoughts or personal insights from the movie that are related to child

and family advocacy?

o Something I got from this movie is that we will find people who truly believe that

creating policies that redefine marriage is a way of moving forward, we will also

find those that are on the fence of the discussion. Having a strong conviction and

a determination to show the importance of family can make all the difference.

o It does require much effort and sacrifice to advocate for children and families, but

we have been entrusted with the message of hope the Gospel provides. The

doctrine of the family is something we come across very often as members of the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Days Saints. We must use this blessing to be a

light to the world.

 What was your understanding of the doctrine of the family at the beginning of the

semester and how has it changed?

o I think my understanding of the doctrine of the family was fairly close to my

understanding of it now. However, now I have a better understanding of the ways

in which I can defend the doctrine of the family.

o This class has opened my eyes in many ways. It has shown me very specific ways

in which I can be a more active participant in the effort to advocate for the family.

It has shown me that I can start with small things, such as participating in my

community through my children school, or local library.

o This class has made me look beyond my sphere. It has shown me that opposition

is closer and more common than I thought. But it has also shown me how

speaking up can be a way to flash a light to those who might also want to put

effort into advocating for family, but think they are alone.

o This class has been a life-changing experience that I will continue to treasure and

study for many more years to come.

 Picture your spouse and children (current or future), and write down some thoughts about

how they will benefit from you taking this class.

o I think one of the first benefit from me taking this class is that they will see me

(and they will also be) more involved in our community. This is something that

really stood out to me from this class. The simple acts that I can take now to be a

better part of my community is something I have already started to put into

practice. I think my children will be exposed to that, and hopefully will want to

imitate it when they are older.

o I think my family will also benefit from a clearer and deeper understanding of the

family and its important role in the community. I think I have been teaching them

about how the family is central to the Plan of Happiness, but this class has also

helped me realize I need to teach them how families make a better society.

o Family has been my rock, my safe place, my sad place, and the place where I

better understand who I am. Small moments where I can see my children be free

and happy while also having the security of a mother and a father, they can count

on is what fuels my energy.

o Of course, being part of a family is not always easy. Being part of a family

sometimes can be a humbling experience. It may take patience, long suffering,

love, repentance, forgiveness and compassion, but that is how good citizens (good

humans) are formed. The family with loving mother and father is essential to the

well being of our children, and our society. This is something I better understand

now, and it is something I will continue to teach and defend!